The invention relates to a vehicle seat having at least one hinge fitting, the upper fitting portion of which is associated with the backrest and the lower fitting portion of which is associated with the seat frame, and having a pivotable hook suspended in such a manner that in its locked position it engages behind a lock bolt running parallel to the hinge axis.
In the known vehicle seats of this type the hook forms one element of a so-called free-pivot mechanism for the backrest. If the hook is pivoted into its release position, the backrest can be folded forward without having to activate the adjusting device provided for adjusting the angle of inclination of the backrest.
If a vehicle seat of this type is often removed and reinstalled, or taken from a use position into a non-use position and back, as is primarily the case in automobiles which, if necessary, can be equipped with an additional row of seats, then there is a danger that the seat is not properly connected to the floor of the vehicle, even when it is in its use position, because, for example, the person performing the installation is inexperienced or inattentive. As the use position hereby should be understood a position in which a person can sit or lie on the bench portion of the seat and brace himself against the backrest.